Wednesday, 24 September 2014

SATC to MATC

I live in the UK's second biggest city. I am mid 30's which evidently is in my prime (hilarious I know). It is when Carrie told Aleksandr Petrovsky to get lost and bogged off to Paris in a big dress and fell in love with Big all over again. By rights I should be in Louboutin shoes and quaffing cosmos with my friends in hip and trendy bars. As I type this I am in maternity leggings (my youngest child is 1 1/2) and a vintage Peacocks flowery smock dress. Later I plan to visit one of my closest friends house's tonight for the first catch up we have managed to book in between play dates and rain checks since May. So in the style of Carrie I am going to fulfil a lifelong ambition to type a statement and answer it. Cough, ahem. Here goes...

When did Sex and the City become Mumsy and the City?...

Now imagine I go off and have a really exciting episode where there is lots of shagging and expensive dresses and I am five stone lighter...or the reality of non of that. My friend at work asked if I could do a night out in October for a department curry. Instead of saying "hell yeah will there be sambuca with me poppadoms?" I replied (and instantly hated myself) "Let me check my family calender when I get in". Vom. Bleurgh. How twee. How crap.

The episode where Carrie dressed in New Look, put bunny ears on and danced around a pole.

When did I become so mumsy? When did I lose any vague glamour I once possessed (I used to wear thongs!)? I brought a Marc Jacobs bag when I turned 30. It was a symbol of being grown up and fabulous. I now covet the latest Cath Kidston 'mum' bag which is waterproof and has lots of different pockets to hold the many and varied items I instantly need at hand. I long for a 'jazzy' welly (I have gasped over Hunter ones. Actually. Gasped) and I can't wait for pay day to come to buy new slippers.

Being a Mum is AMAZING but for me? So unglamourous. Yeah, yeah you see those people in the press looking amazing and I suppose we always have one friend who irritatingly pulls it off and manages to at least have clean hair and a bit of concealer on when we meet up (bitch). But. Why am I not Carrie? Why am I not living the high life? Why am I not spending the prime of my life shagging my way around the West Midlands in Chanel? (husband obviously this just a rhetorical question and is not something I want to do before the divorce gets under way).

I tell you why? Because I just ruddy can't. Having a young family makes it nigh on impossible to live the Sex and the City lifestyle unless you have a Magda style nanny (and anyway didn't she lose the plot in the end?). Have you ever tried to look after two toddler with a hangover? Don't, it's horrific. So I am going to make the most of the semi glam moments in my life. Those little snippets that make me forget the nappies and the tantrums. I may light a seasonal overpriced Yankee Candle, or invest in some posh slippers. That's where I get my sh*ts and giggles now. And tonight? In my vintage Peacock dress and battered four seasons ago Uggs, I plan to have a little vino and chat about boys with one of the besties. If we turn the lights down low and ignore the pile of washing in the corner of the room that needs to be ironed? We are in NYC. Just a bit brummier.

48 comments

Oh how I love reading your blog!! You never fail to make me smile......oh to have a lifestyle (and closet) of Carrie! I cannot handle hangovers anymore and if I do have one, everyone ends up taking the p**s!! xx

Totally feeling you (not literally - that would be weird, and I might be arrested!)Husband and I are off to NYC sans kids next month for 4 whole nights! In my head it's going to be amazing SATC style cocktails / cool bars / shopping / eating / sightseeing amazingness - in reality we'll probably just be well chuffed to have a bed to ourselves (without a small child climbing in during the night) to catch up on some much needed sleep!!!!! I think I *may* have to blog about this.........

Plucking my eye brows is actually on my to do list. Pre children I had time to do this every day and wouldn't have dreamt of leaving the house without perfect brows. Now it's one of those jobs that gets further and further down the list. Now I dream about leaving the house without baby vom / drool on my shoulder!!!

SATC and Mummyhood do not go hand in hand. Just look at Miranda! She wasn't very SATC after having a baby was she?! Babies changes everything. I'm quite happy buying slippers on pay day and asking for PJs every xmas. I think SATC is overrated! x

Fab as always lovely and once again you've said the things I feel ;-) I just think the first few years of child rearing are very unglam, but thank goodness for hubby's who are happy with us just as we are; wonderful friend (RL and Bloggie ones) and the odd G&T xxx #brilliantblogposts

Love this post, I met up with some good friends form London the other day and honestly, listening to their exploits I felt soo mumsy and dowdy (especially at 8mths preggo!) we then reminisced about things we used to get up to and ita like I am just a totally different person now! Great post :) xx

Love this. Oh how I love SATC. Up until have Lil G my friends and I so modelled ourselves on Sex & The City, my hen may have been slightly themed around this. Oh to have Carries wardrobe in the BIG house and the days spent in paris with a book and a pastry. I do have a monthly cocktails night with friends and it is something I savour. I am that much of a fan we went on the SATC tour when we went to NYC (twice ... eek) and shopped in the stores she does and then the magnolia bakery she talks of. Eek those were the days. Enjoy those Uggs lovely x

I used to be a circus artist, spending large chunks of my life in lycra and glitter. I'm now rocking the skinny jeans, tunic Mum uniform and a slice of cake is the high point of my day. Do you know what? I'm actually happiest now.

My favourite line is this: I may light a seasonal overpriced Yankee CandleGO WILD! Love it. You've still got the glamour, it just comes out a little less often and shelters under the mum mac a bit more! xxx

Yep yep yep! However, who wants to be sat in restaurant wondering if he'll show up - or always having to wear your best thong? Yes OK me...!! Great post. And I loved SATC and miss it so much. What a great series that was x x

Ah me and Christian Laboutin (sp?) are never going to see eye to eye (I'll be too low down in my slippers) but I guess I always knew this was coming (and put it off as long as possible hence my 'geriatric' pregnancies!) But even SJP liked to sit around on set in her Uggs knitting if I remember rightly... :-) X

Ha ha, this makes me laugh. Although I have to say, I have seen you with my own actual eyes and I think you are actually a lot more glamorous than lots of mums - even it is Peacock and New Look, you wear it well!

Oh this made me laugh chick, bloody hell don't hate me but I think I got more glam after kids(well in the last couple of years because I was determined to keep that part of me and make up, heels and my wardrobe is my armour)...OK my lifestyle post kids isn't as glam as pre-(although I did sneak off the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year ) but life before babies was pretty glam-Baftas, working in the film industry, flying off to LA to see my film screened at a festival (OK I'll stop now) but I suppose I keep the glamour going in my life with red lipstick and girly nights out when I can! And let me tell you, nothing has made me happier or fulfilled (nor tired than my two sons. I wouldn't change my life one bit.

Disclaimer: I do still love rocking comfy clothes and having a PJ day when I can (which helps when you work from home)-but all the women in my family are just so glam, they were born glam so I feel I'm letting the side down if I don't at least have sparkly Uggs ;) Thanks for linking up x

Lol i know exactly what you mean, I constantly find myself in baggy tops {that are my hubby's} and a pair of old sweats with my hair tied up.... Gosh i really love your dress you look fabulous in it!xx